Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek (born July 22, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian game show host whose resume includes several in his native Canada (including 1981-82 fan favorite Pitfall) plus The Wizard of Odds (1973-74), High Rollers (1974-76/1978-80), Double Dare (1976-77), The $128,000 Question (1977-78), Battlestars (1981-83), Classic Concentration (1987-91), and To Tell the Truth (1991) in the United States. He is also the only known host to do three nationally-aired games simultaneously: Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration, and To Tell the Truth (all in early 1991). Prior to becoming a game show host, he worked as a broadcaster at CBC. While Pitfall is generally considered by fans to be underrated, Alex has noted at times that it was the only time he was "stiffed" for his salary (the production company went bankrupt during the show's run and couldn't pay later winners) and keeps the bounced check framed in his office. Alex has hosted Jeopardy! since its 1984 return, and has won Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1989, 1990, 2003, 2006, and 2008. ''Wheel of Fortune Guest Host ''"I was the guest host for an entire week once. And I must have done such a good job that the producers couldn't wait to ask me back, and so here I am today...'sixteen years later'." Trebek's first association with Wheel came in August 1980, when series creator Merv Griffin asked him to fill in for Chuck Woolery after Chuck failed to show up (a very odd event, since he had a habit of arriving early). During a break, Susan Stafford made a phone call and shortly afterward, Chuck was found by Pat and Shirley Boone lying on the floor of his daughter Melissa's large playhouse; as the door was locked, Pat had to break in. In August 1985, Alex returned to the daytime show to fill in for Pat Sajak for a single episode, although the circumstances are unknown. Trebek also hosted on April Fool's Day 1997, when Pat and Vanna White played for charity; Pat hosted that day's Jeopardy! Other Appearances Alex competed on a special episode (November 2, 2000) in which he, Tara Lipinski, and Richard Simmons played in Halloween costumes for charity and an "unmask the stars" sweepstakes. Trebek was disguised as a gnome, and following the Bonus Round his son Matt appeared onstage in a gnome costume. During the Canada Week of October 13, 2008, Alex gave a fact about Canada in a pre-taped segment after Round 1. The segments all took place on the Jeopardy! set near the game board, where he normally stood for Final Jeopardy!; the Canadian flag was on the monitor where the Final Jeopardy! category would be, and the Wheel of Fortune logo was on the monitor where the Final Jeopardy! clue would be. A few days later, on October 16, JEOPARDY! HOST ALEX TREBEK was a puzzle. Trebek appears frequently in publicity shots with Pat and Vanna, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award along with Pat in 2011. Category:People Category:Hosts Category:Substitutes Category:Wheel of Fortune